Before Birth & Beyond

06/08/2026

😭

For decades, exhausted parents were told to let babies cry themselves to sleep. It was standard advice. Pediatricians recommended it. Sleep trainers built careers on it.

Denmark just said no.

In 2020, a coalition of 723 Danish psychologists signed an open letter demanding an end to cry it out sleep training in official guidance . Their argument was not emotional. It was scientific. They pointed to mounting research showing that prolonged crying without comfort elevates cortisol, disrupts healthy brain development, and may harm secure attachment .

The Danish Health Board responded quietly but clearly. They removed all cry it out recommendations from their official materials. Web pages vanished. Pamphlets disappeared. The advice that had been given to generations of new parents was gone .

Here is what the psychologists found. Babies lack the neurological capacity to "self soothe." That skill develops through co regulation, not isolation . When a baby cries and no one comes, their stress response activates. Over time, they do not learn calm. They learn that signaling for help is useless .

The Danish Health Authority now recommends that infants sleep in the same room as parents for at least the first 6 months, preferably throughout the first year . Responsive care is prioritized over rigid schedules. Connection is valued over convenience.

Denmark did not pass a law banning cry it out. Parents who choose that method are not breaking any rules. But the official government stance has shifted. And that shift is already influencing other countries .

The message is clear. A crying baby is not manipulating you. A crying baby is communicating. And Denmark has decided that listening is the healthier choice.

06/06/2026

9 years ago, I birthed my sweet 9lb 4oz 20.5in long baby after 16hrs of hard labor.

Labor: expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory

9 months of training my mind and preparing my body had paid off.

But..

There were moments my body was tired and ready to give out.

There were moments my mind thought I couldn't do it another second.

That's when I leaned into the presence of the Lord.

Lord, "lead me where my trust is without borders"... "I trust You."

"Let me walk upon the waters where ever you would call me"

I envisioned my baby on the horizon of the ocean and each wave was bringing her closer.. if I could just keep my head above water, I could do it.

"Call me deeper than my feet could ever wonder, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

"Lord, give me strength"

A fresh wind would come and give me what I needed in that moment.

I played Oceans.. an 11 minute song.. probably 100 times that day. I didn't care how annoyed my birth team was. It helped center my mind when I felt completely out of control.

And honestly, that's the whole point.

It's releasing control and fully surrendering to what the Lord has called us unto.

Don't run from the process in fear of the pain, difficulty, anguish, or discomfort.

Embrace it.

It's transformative.

My daughter wasn't the only one born that day.

A mother was born.

Little did I know, that was only the beginning of the most beautiful and transformative journey I would ever step into.

I thank God repeatedly for allowing me to carry and birth these blessing that are a heritage from him.

I humbly bow before Him and ask that He blesses the work of my hands and the words of my mouth as I walk along other women and their spouses during this intimate, vulnerable, sacred transformation.

Birth is one of the closest and most intimate experiences I get to co-operate and co-mission with the Lord.

9 years and 22 births in and I am still yet just getting started.

Thank You Lord for what is to come. Thank You for these babies and their families.
Thank You!

06/05/2026

🚨In full transparency, this is exactly where I’m at right now…👀

God gave our family a vision.
He confirmed the direction.
He opened doors.
He provided confirmation after confirmation as we took small steps of faith.

And then came the pause….🦗

The waiting.
The uncertainty.
The surrender that comes when you’ve done everything you know to do and now all that’s left is to trust Him.

If I’m honest, it’s painful!

Not because I doubt what God showed us…but because waiting is HARD when your heart is already moving toward what He’s promised.

But I know I’m learning something in this season:

God’s pauses are not God’s denials.

Silence does not mean absence.
Waiting does not mean abandonment.
And a delay does not mean God has changed His mind!

So we’ll keep praying.
We’ll keep trusting.
And we’ll keep taking the next step when He says move.

Because the same God who led us this far is faithful enough to lead us the rest of the way.🙏

If you’re in a waiting season too, don’t let the pause make you forget what God has already shown you.🤎✝️

06/02/2026

Every birth worker 👀 when the the storms hit and babies are due! ⛈️🤰🏼🤱🏽

06/02/2026

Broken, but giving praise.
Heart shattered, but grateful.
Unknown future, but present in His presence.
Fully surrendered, but scared.
Daughter & Mother
Two in one.
One daughter holding another daughter.
One grieves the the inevitable.
The other, without understanding, recognizes the pain, and does what no words can do.
Both holding one another, in the presence of God, at the feet of our Lord.

A diagnosis.
Yet, an answered prayer.
Cancer.
Yet, he hadn't died alone in a hotel room.

Each breath was a moment for resolve, redemption, reconciliation, and repair.

Not knowing the day or the hour, but holding onto each moment like it may be the last.

Thanking the Father for not leaving my Father.

Thanking the Father for never leaving me.

Thanking the Father for all I learned (good & bad) from my Father.

Thanking Him for all He had taught me.

Thanking the Father for the love of a Father, heavenly & earthly, so much the same, but wildly different.

Jehovah Go’el

The Lord redeems.

It's been 5 years since this photo was taken as I worshipped the Lord in the throws of grief, heartache, inevitable loss, but also in gratitude, Thanksgiving, and unexplainable love.

5 years since I heard my dad's diagnosis.

Cancer didn't win.
Addiction didn't win.
Unforgiveness didn't win.
Brokenness didn't win.
Loneliness didn't win.

The Prodigal got to come home.
The Father embraced him with rejoicing.
Forgiveness was given.
Reconciliation was had.
Peace was made.
Love endured all things.

We were gifted 3.5 months to work through a lifetime of undealtwith baggage.

We found healing in prayer, in worship, in reading the word, in talking about the hard things, in preparation of being birthed into our final home.

The contractions were intense.

We cried.

We weren't ready, until we were.

My dad turned back into a babe.

Needing to be fed, bathed, wiped, spoken for when he couldn't speak.

And then he went home.

All I could say when that moment came was, "Thank You."

Hundreds of Thank Yous.

For every moment. Every heartache. Every memory. Every story. Every experience. Every lesson learned. Every laugh. Every hug. Every cry. Every answered prayer. For His goodness, mercy, kindness, loyalty, faithfulness, gentleness, peace, patience, and the joy.

Not another moment did I have to worry about my dad or what this life had for him.

He was home with our Father.

Both my Father's are together.. waiting for my race to be run, for me to achieve what the Lord set before me to do, and then to meet them there, at the finish line.

We don't know the day or the hour.

All we have is today.

Live it well.

Live it with intent.

Make waves in the heavenly rhelms.

Do the Kingdom work the Lord has given unto you to do.

Run the race well.

Endurance, perseverance, eyes ahead.

Grow in strength. Grow in wisdom, in knowledge, and in humility.

We all have to cross that bridge one day.

The choices we make today shapes how we birth tomorrow.

The beginning and ending of life circles back to birth.

Birth into this world & then birth into the next.

What you want that to look like matters.

We can suffer, or we can surrender.

The choice is ours.

Before Birth & Beyond is here to help you bridge those gaps from where you are to where you're going.

Draw a map, make a plan, take the steps necessary to prepare for what's ahead.

05/30/2026

You can have a healthy mom and baby after birth and still need to process and grieve certain moments that didn't go as you envisioned or hoped for.

Only God knew when He called me into this work that as I learned things, it would trigger and bring up memories that I had stored away, not realizing I hadn't dealt with them, and through learning and serving, it would also heal me.

It has deepened my yearning to serve families with deep conviction, thoughtfulness, and mindfulness, as every single moment is a moment that exists in eternity, one way or another.

This is sacred work. Don't let anyone convenience you otherwise.

05/30/2026

Okay.. I'm crying 😭

05/27/2026

🥹😍👏👏👏

Meet Mercy Eizenga, LM
Rose City Wellness Grants Manager
& Rose City Birth Center Midwife

Mercy fell in love with all things natural after attending Bradley Method Childbirth classes in 1997 with a friend. After seeing her interest, the instructor encouraged Mercy to become a doula. During her first birth, Mercy felt called to become a , as a way to offer more choices to birthing women.

Mercy attended the Association of Texas Midwives Midwifery Training Program from 2003 to 2008 while apprenticing with Gentle Beginnings Midwifery in Corpus Christi, Texas. She opened after graduating from the Association of Texas Midwives. Mercy joined up with Heather in 2022. She took a break from midwifery in 2024, but returned to Rose City for the last half of 2025.

Mercy is the mother of three grown sons and Mimi to two granddaughters. Because of Mercy’s own birth experiences, she is passionate about (Vaginal Birth After Cesearean).

When not , Mercy can be found knitting/crocheting, reading, taking her granddaughters to storytime at the library, or hanging out with her kids.

05/27/2026

Being a powerful vessel that was created to grow new life, birth that new life as a delicate little seedling, and then nurture it to watch it grow taller, stronger and smarter.. is one of the most empowering, selfless, weighty callings that a mother carries.

Every decision, even the decision and action that led to the planting of that seed, is a forever life-changing moment in time.

Each moment after planting the seed, each choice you make, either nurtures and brings life, or creates deficiencies.

When a woman finds out she's pregnant, there is a mixture of feelings and emotions that flood her system. Joy. Excitement. Fear. Anxiety. Sometimes regrets, shame, or guilt. Sometimes honor, love, and appreciation.

What follows next is critical.

Support.

Who you share with matters.

Who you choose as your provider matters.

However you envision your pregnancy and birth, finding a provider that aligns with that desire is the foundation of what you want to build towards.

Every woman deserves access and support of a midwife, a trusted O.B, doula, lactation counselor, and pelvic floor therapist.

In some counties, this is the norm.

Here in the U.S. our systems are flawed; women are lacking in the support they need.

In some areas, to hire one, means to be scrutinized and judged by the other.. and when you need the other.. you are met with biases and prejudices that interfere with the quality of care you receive.

Not always. Not every provider. Not every city or town.

Collaboration between providers, Obstetrics, Nurse Midwives, Traditional Midwives, and doulas is one of the most beautiful experiences and mind-easing support a family could possibly experience.

That's the dream. That's the vision. That's the goal.

Before Birth & Beyond will advocate and take action to bridge these gaps, with the help of other local providers.

We have to be the difference we see is needed in the world.

Every woman deserves the Midwifery Model of Care support, even if they choose hospital birth.

Every woman deserves obstetrical medicine and care if needed, even if they choose homebirth.

I'm so grateful for Nurse Midwives who advocate and stand in the gap to bring more holistic and natural approaches to women in hospital settings.

I'm grateful for OBGYNs who are compassionate, understanding, and supportive of natural, holistic-minded families when their care is needed. For the ones that truly inform families on evidence-based care and options, and respects their autonomy as well as their rights to choose what's best for them.

I'm grateful for surgeons, when Cesareans are actually needed and consented to.

I'm grateful to Traditional Midwives that support, educate, and inform families on physiological birth, nutrition, herbs, and the like that truly encompasses mental, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual aspects of the birthing woman, who see her as the beautiful vessel that she is.

I'm grateful for doulas, who support, advocate, encourage, and educate women during their unique journeys that sometimes encompass all the above. They are there to feel all the feels, navigate all the emotions, provide comfort, create peace, hold space, and are witnesses to the beautiful, good, bad, and ugly.

Each of these professions are needed.

Each of these professions carry mental and emotional weight that goes unseen, unnoticed, and sticks with each individual long after their services are needed.

Each of these professionals walk away wondering what they could do different, how they could be better, and if the services they provided was enough.

Each of these professionals are human.

They are not God.

There are circumstances and events that are completely out of their control. Yet they still show up, they still support, they do what only they know how to do the best they can.

We can be passionate about one, and respect and see the need for the others.

None of these are one-size fits all.

Some families are not good candidates for homebirth.

Some families don't need modern medicine.

We can and stand with other Providers in appreciation of what they bring to the table for families that need them.

It doesn't have to be one against the other.

Choose peace, love, support, and appreciation.

Release fear, pride, ego, self-righteousness.

Choose to support the families that need you. If what we do is about them, then let's keep our eyes on the main thing.

I challenge everyone to advocate for women's and families rights to choose the care that's best for them.

If different kinds of care have to meet in the middle to give the families the best care, choose to do so with compassionate care and support for them.

Numbers 6:24-26

05/27/2026